With one thousand dollars and two sets of oil-blackened hands, this Gresford family has salvaged, rebuilt and will journey 900 kilometres into the outback on rusted, discarded motorbikes to raise money for Down Syndrome NSW.
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Dubbing themselves The Hillbillies, patriarch Joe Thompson, his son Ryan, son-in-law Luke Bennis and an entourage of family and friends will complete their sixth Scrapheap Challenge next month.
Since it began in 2010, the family has seen parts of the country most people have never even heard of.
The list includes Cameron Corner, Wanaaring, Kosciusko, Hungerford and Nymboida, but the 2015 odyssey will be to Urana, 100 kilometres south of Wagga Wagga.
Mr Thompson said the Scrapheap Challenge was an adventure his whole family looked forward to each year.
“The atmosphere is fantastic,” he said.
“Everyone’s only in it for two things: to have fun and to raise money for Down syndrome.”
“Last year we had 70 bikes turn up in Nymboida in a great camping ground and we camped for a couple of nights and went for local rides, had a few beers, had a few meals and generally enjoyed the atmosphere.”
The Scrapheap Challenge is the brainchild of Perry Gilsenan, a father who has faced and triumphed over more challenges than most. Mr Gilsenan lost both legs in a train accident in 1976 and was involved in a horrific car crash in 1988, but was determined to show his daughter Grace, who was born with Down syndrome, that no disability should stop her from enjoying life.
“Scrapheap just gets better every year and this year we’re hoping to have 100 riders raise $100,000 for Down Syndrome NSW,” Mr Gilsenan said.
“The event is always lots of fun and I can’t wait to see all the weird and wonderful bikes this year, as well as all my Scrapheap mates from years past.”
Mr Thompson said although no one in his family had direct experience with Down syndrome, he was drawn in by Mr Gilsenan’s impassioned and infectious spirit.
“Perry just put the two elements of old bikes and having fun to raise funds for Down syndrome and, personally, I couldn’t resist,” Mr Thompson said.
“It’s one of those things that, even without direct experience, we understand Down Syndrome NSW gets very little funding from the Commonwealth and state governments, but they’re a critical service to families who have someone with Down syndrome.”
Mr Thompson said he cherished the time spent on the road with his family, even when things didn’t quite go according to plan.
“Sometimes you get to breakdown and see the countryside in one spot for a much longer time than you thought you would,” he said with a laugh.
“We’ve had a few repairs and breakdowns in really odd locations.”
During their trip to Cameron Corner, where NSW, Queensland and South Australia meet, Mr Thompson and his son’s bike and sidecar broke down on a red dirt road outside a three-street-town called Tibooburra.
“We were broken down in this most desolate place and had to steal some fencing wire to fix the bike,” Mr Thompson said.
“It’s that classic story of scavenging to keep the bike together for the rest of the journey.
“We’ve had some interesting experiences.”
The Hillbillies are calling for sponsorship to help them raise $5000 for Down Syndrome NSW before their journey begins on September 25.
